Process and apparatus for use in preparing color sets for shaded tones printing



R. SMEJDA Oct. 20, 1953 PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR USE IN PREPARING COLOR SETS FOR SHADED TONES PRINTING Filed Jan. 23, 1951 3 .m R W MM n N m fia m M Im Patented Oct. 2(), 1953 UNITED PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR USE IN PREPARING COLOR SETS FOR SHADED TONES PRINTING Richard Smejda, Vienna, Austria Application January 23, 1951, Serial No. 207,280 In Austria February 6, 1950 4 Claims.

The production of shaded colour tones for tex tile printing (film printing and roller printing) has hitherto been confined to individual pure or mixed colours being put on the film or roller in stripe-like juxtaposition, whereby the "colours in the finished print-only restrictedly blend with each other forming narrow, toned transitions. In contra-distinction thereto, it is the object of the present invention to provide a process according to the invention which permits of realizing any possible tones in an exact and predetermined manner starting from a conveniently reduced number of selected basic colours. The term colours is used herein in the usual sense in which it is employed in the trade to indicate colours which may consist of pigments, either with or without binders, chemical dye-stuffs or binders with chemical auxiliaries.

This object is attained according to one embodiment of the invention by the colours being introduced unmixed into a corresponding number of compartments of a rectangular box, which compartments are constituted by at least one partition wall running generally longitudinally of the box and shaped according to the colour share or quota of each cross-section desired. The contents of the box are subsequently sub-divided into sections by parallel separating walls running transversely to the box. The colour quotas contained in each of said sections are thoroughly mixed together and then fed to a printing device.

With this process a great variety of blending colours is obtainable, reproducible with mathematical precision by means of a predetermined graph and the colour recipes used as basic colours. The graph may take any form required by the nature of the design to be printed, desired tone transitions extending over the whole or any part of the printing width. Instances arise in which it is desirable to obtain tone transition effects over the whole or any desired portion of the printing width by blending a colour with a colourless tone modifying agent or binder and such tone transition effects can also be accurately predetermined in accordance with the present invention by introducing the colouring matter and the colourless tone modifying agent into the previously mentioned box so that, when the contents of the box is divided into sections as previously referred to, at least certain of the sections will contain a predetermined ratio of colour to colour modifying agent.

The foregoing and other objects, as well as the characteristic features and advantages of the invention, will be understood more readily from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a colour graph.

Fig. 2 shows the colour-box and the mixing box in correlated position.

Fig. 3 is a view of the mixing box with the mixing comb inserted.

Fig. 4 shows the stencil top or head piece.

In the colour toning graph according to Fig. 1 the printing widths are plotted as abscissae and the colour intensities as ordinates, the curve A indicating the colour intensity in per cent at each point of the printing width. For instance, the colour intensity of the yellow colour increases from point zero to point B up to and decreases again to zero, when reaching the point C. The remaining percentage is determined by the distance of the curve A from the 100% line and may be constituted either by a colourless binder or by a second colour. If a colourless binder is employed, as second component, the result is a simple rising and subsiding of the colour intensity over the entire printing width. If, however, a second colour is used e. g. blue, the result is a gradual transition over the entire printing width from pure blue (point zero) by way of green to pure yellow (point B) and then again a more rapid transition by way of green to pure blue (point C).

If, starting from a limited number of suitable selected basic colours, mixed colours are produced and kept according to all possible combinations and mixing ratios from 1 to 100 percent, it is possible to determine by means of a colour comparing chart the exact mixing ratios in per cent for any mixed colour of a coloured pattern or design to be printed, on basis of which the colour toning graph desired can be plotted, which however, in general, will not consist of one curve only, but of two or more e. g. the dash line curves D and E, the distances from each other and from the abscissa making up 100 per cent. The desired percentage relations which are plotted in a colour toning graph may be kept for reference to produce at any later date repeat effects of exactly the same colour value and position.

In order to utilize in a printing machine or device the colour graph obtained in this manner with its colour tones changing over the entire printing width, e. g. the apparatus according to the Figs. 2-4 may be employed.

The colour or dosing box 1 corresponds in regard to its length to the printing width. It may consist of four fixed walls or be provided on three sides with fixed walls 2 and additionally with a wall 3 corresponding to the printing width, the latter being easily detachable by means of crosswise slotted, stuck-on plugs ti. If toning is to be effected in harmony with curve A, the inner space of the box is separated into three com partments by a flexible partition wall 5 which is curved according to the curve A of the graph, similar plugs s as above being used for holding fast said flexible wall 5. Into these compartments the basic colours or binders, quantitatively determined according to thegraph (Fig. l), are introduced, whereby the level indicator or mark 6 permits of verifying the height of the colour substance in all compartments, which should be the same in order to keep the colour proportions constant.

The number and arrangement of partitions 5 inserted in the box I, will, of course, vary with variations in the plotting of the printing widths and colour intensities. For example, where the nature of the design. is such that the plotted graph takes the form represented by the curve A only a single partition 5 is required as illustrated in Fig. 2. Alternately, where the plotted graph takes the form represented conjointly by the curves A, D and E, the box I will be provided with three partitions corresponding in shape and location with the curves A, D and E, of the graph shown in Fig. l.

ticular instance is determined by the nature of the design to be printed which, in turn, determines the plotting of the graph to show the number, shape and arrangement of the required partitions.

The walls 2 and 3 of colour box I are sitting on a grate-shaped bottom composed of fixed narrow strips 1 and wide, movable strips 8. The movable strips 8 can be withdrawn rearwards by means of a handle 9, in which case the respective colour portions are directly discharged into a mixing box I underneath. Of course, the strips 8 may also be tilted downwards about a lateral axis. According to another embodiment of the invention (not illustrated), the bottom of the box I may also be provided with a plurality of openings in the manner of a sieve which are uncovered by a slide extending over the entire face so that said apertures are opened when the slide is pulled out.

The mixing box [0 is subdivided by means of separating walls ll running transversely to the printing width, these separating walls H forming sections I2 in which strips of the colour portions previously contained in the colour box I aretrapped. To make the interlinkage of the diiierent steps better understood by way of procedure, one cross-section through the toning graph (Fig. 1) has been marked fg and is followed throughout the process.

Step I is represented by the plotting of a graph representing the desired colour effect at each cross-section by putting the different colour shares on a percentage basis.

In step II flexible walls, e. g. wall 5, are erected in colour box I in harmony with the plotted curves, e. g. curve A, and the compartments formed by wall and walls 2 and 3 are filled with the respective colours or binders. The filling being completed after the colour shares in all compartments reached the same level, which indicates that the colour value is constant to the plotted graph.

In step III, after opening the grate shaped bottom the colour shares fall down perpendicular by From this it will be apparent 7 that the number of partitions used in any par- 4 force of gravity and rearrange themselves in a new order by being sliced in parallel sections, the colour content of each section, e. g. f9, determined by the position of the one portion of partition wall 5 being located directly above said section [2.

Step IV is performed by inserting the mixing comb I3, the teeth of which are spaced according to the distance of the separating walls II, and moving it repeatedly across the sections I2 of box [0. After mixing the different colour portions entrapped in sections l2, each section contains a homogeneous mixture constituted by the percentage proportions predetermined in curve A. The colours are now ready to be fed to the reproduction devices.

This is efiected in step V and a suitable device to be employed for the application in screen printing is illustrated in Fig. 4. It demonstrates a stencil top I4 or head piece which is also subdivided into sections it? by separating walls l6 equidistant to separating walls ll of mixing box H). The mixing box is brought in position over the stencil top 14 in such a. manner that the required amount of colour is filled from each section I2 of box [6 into the correspondingly located section 15 of top H by any suitable means. On the longitudinal side of the stencil top Mthe respective sections are provided with outlets ll the size of which can be modified by a slide I8 controlling the colour quantities discharged.

Although I have described the invention in terms of dividing and mixing colour components employed in the textile trade, it will be appreciated that the inherent qualities of this invention render it equally applicable in the dividing and mixing of any two or more components, for example, chemical ingredients, whether they be in liquid or powder form, to produce a complementary series of two or more components in proportions predetermined by a graph.

What I claim is:

1. In a process for producing a set of colours for shaded colour tone printing, the steps which comprise separately introducing batches of different colours into a confined space so that each batch is substantially confined to a predetermined area and overlaps the adjacent batch or batches at various cross-sections of said space, transversely dividing the contents of said space into parallel sections so that contiguous portions of said batches are contained within each section in proportions predetermined by the location of the section, and separately mixing the contents of each section to produce a complementary series of colour tones.

2. Apparatus for use in preparing colour sets for shaded tones printing, comprising a fiat box, at least one vertically disposed partition wall inserted within said box, said partition wall being arranged to subdivide the box space into at least two completely separate compartments having theirboundaries overlapping according to a predetermined colour graph so that, when each compartment is filled to a predetermined level with a separate batch of a colour component, the respective batches contained in said compartments will overlap at various cross-sections of the box space, means for dividing the contents of the box space transversely into parallel sections so that the sections passing through the overlapping portions of the batches will contain portions of said batches in varying proportions predetermined by the location of the partition wall, and

5 means for mixing the colour contained in each of said parallel sections.

3. Apparatus for use in preparing colour sets of shaded tones printing, comprising a flat box, at least one flexible, vertically disposed partition wall inserted within said box, said partition wall being arranged along a predetermined curved path to subdivide the box space into at least two completely separate compartments having their boundaries overlapping according to a predetermined colour graph, means for securing said partition wall in its vertical position along said predetermined curved ath so that when each compartment is filled to a predetermined level with a, separate batch of a colour component the respective batches contained in said compartments will overlap at various cross-sections of the box space, and means comprising parallel partition walls extending in a direction transversely of said box for transversely dividing the contents of said box into parallel sections to entrap contiguous portions of said batches within each section in varying proportions predetermined by the location of the section, and means for individually mixing together the contents of each section to produce a complementary series of colour tones.

4. A process for producing a set of colours for shaded colourtone printing, particularly for textiles, characterized in that the colours arefirst introduced umnixed into a corresponding number of compartments of a rectangular box, said compartments being separated by at least one partition wall running generally longitudinally of the box and shaped according to the colour share or quota of each cross-section, the contents of the box being then sub-divided into sections by parallel separating walls running transversely to the box, and finally the colour portions contained in each section being separately mixed and fed to the printing device.

RICHARD SlVIEJDA.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 178,308 Leathers June 6, 1876 211,277 Thorp Jan. 7, 1879 285,429 Palmer Sept. 25, 1883 534,664 Plivka Feb. 26, 1895 574,172 Ronitz Dec. 29, 1896 978,616 Mitats Dec. 13, 1910 1,539,148 Sylvester May 26, 1925 1,750,567 Campbell Mar. 11, 1930 1,854,666 Prifold Apr. 19, 1932 2,048,971 Rottmund July 28, 1936 

